Truck body assembly and methods of making and using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10112656-B2
Application number	US-201715441612-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2017
Priority date	Jun 13, 2014
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

An assembly for utility truck bodies having metal and/or composite reinforcement(s) and/or foam reinforcements and/or honeycomb reinforcement/ and/or wood reinforcements encapsulated within a thermoformed thermoplastic, or thermoset or fiber-reinforced thermoset walking surface floor structure of the truck bed assembly or other composite floor structure with attachable components and junctions, e.g., sidepack(s), and methods of making the same are provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A truck bed assembly comprising:
a truck bed composite floor,
wherein the truck bed composite floor attaches to chassis frame rails of a truck and includes a surface which spans at least a distance between the chassis frame rails of the truck; and
wherein the composite floor includes twin sheets of thermoformed thermoplastic formed using twin sheet thermoforming, wherein one of the twin sheets of thermoformed thermoplastic is an exposed walking surface of the truck bed assembly.

2. The truck bed assembly of claim 1 , wherein the thermoformed thermoplastic is fiber reinforced thermoplastic.

3. The truck bed assembly of claim 1 , wherein the twin sheets of thermoformed thermoplastic are joined at periodic kiss-off locations.

4. The truck bed assembly of claim 1 , wherein an air gap between the twin sheets of thermoformed thermoplastic is at least twice as thick as one of the twin sheets of thermoformed thermoplastic.

5. The truck bed assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a composite reinforcement structure positioned beneath the composite floor.

6. A truck bed assembly comprising:
a truck bed composite floor,
wherein the truck bed composite floor attaches to chassis frame rails of a truck and includes a surface which spans at least a distance between the chassis frame rails of the truck;
wherein the composite floor includes at least two fiber reinforced thermoset panels, wherein one of the at least two fiber reinforced thermoset panels is an exposed walking surface of the truck bed assembly; and
wherein the at least two fiber reinforced thermoset panels are joined during manufacture of the at least two fiber reinforced thermoset panels via resin transfer molding, light resin transfer molding, compression molding using sheet molding compound, compression molding using bulk molding compound, vacuum infusion, chop spray, pultrusion, or hand layup.

7. The truck bed assembly of claim 6 , further comprising a composite reinforcement structure positioned beneath the composite floor.

8. The truck bed assembly of claim 6 , wherein the composite floor includes at least one thermoplastic material.

9. The truck bed assembly of claim 8 , wherein the thermoplastic material is fiber reinforced thermoplastic material.

10. A truck bed assembly comprising:
a truck bed composite floor,
wherein the truck bed composite floor attaches to chassis frame rails of a truck and includes a surface which spans at least a distance between the chassis frame rails of the truck;
wherein the composite floor includes at least one fiber reinforced thermoset panel and at least one thermoplastic panel.

11. The truck bed assembly of claim 10 , wherein the at least one thermoplastic panel is fiber reinforced.

12. The truck bed assembly of claim 10 , wherein the at least one fiber reinforced thermoset panel and the at least one thermoplastic panel are joined during manufacture of the at least one fiber reinforced thermoset panel via resin transfer molding, light resin transfer molding, compression molding using sheet molding compound, compression molding using bulk molding compound, vacuum infusion, chop spray, pultrusion, or hand layup.

13. The truck bed assembly of claim 10 , wherein the at least one fiber reinforced thermoset panel and the at least one thermoplastic panel are joined with adhesive.

14. The truck bed assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a composite reinforcement structure positioned beneath the composite floor.

Assignees

• Altec Ind Inc

Inventors

• Mckinney Ryan J
• Hoffmann Kyle E

Classifications

• B62D29/043

  Superstructures (B62D25/161 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62D33/023

  Sideboard or tailgate structures {(vehicle side panels in general B62D25/02)} · CPC title

• B62D35/00

  Vehicle bodies characterised by streamlining · CPC title

• B62D33/02 Primary

  Platforms; Open load compartments {(flat wagons including posts or standards B61D3/08)} · CPC title

• B62D25/2054

  Load carrying floors for commercial vehicles · CPC title